Primarily a collection of news links about all 10 Horizon League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Leitao’s name was brought to DePaul’s administration through the Atlanta-based Parker Executive Search firm. Other candidates to interview for the DePaul head coaching job included Buffalo head coach Bobby Hurley and UTEP head coach Tim Floyd. Valparaiso head coach Bryce Drew’s name had also been linked to the DePaul job during the search process.

DePaul announced Sunday it has hired Leitao to fill the vacancy created when the school parted ways with Oliver Purnell earlier this month. It's a surprising choice considering the Blue Demons reportedly had been targeting promising up-and-comers like Bryce Drew of Valparaiso and Bobby Hurley of Buffalo.

The athletics department interviewed, Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew and Buffalo coach Bobby Hurley, who both brought their mid-major schools to the NCAA Tournament this season. Both coaches turned down the job, reports said.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Speaking of big and imposing, 6-10 sophomore Chinanu Onuaku has 42 blocks off the bench and helps keep Louisville fresh up front. Sophomore guard Anton Gill was the unsung hero of Friday's win over N.C. State, going on a seven-point scoring surge when the game was in doubt in the second half. Those are the only two reserves who regularly help. Matt Costello was huge for MSU against Oklahoma, and Bryn Forbes did a good defensive job in 31 minutes, though he only hit one shot. If the Spartans can get more help from Marvin Clark Jr. and Alvin Ellis, that could pay off with fresher legs late in the game.

The Michigan State reserves weren't as productive in the win over Oklahoma, but Matt Costello has been solid throughout the postseason in the block and Bryn Forbes has produced timely scoring and improved defense. Marvin Clark and Alvin Ellis saw limited minutes against Oklahoma but both contributed with Clark grabbing the final rebound to put the game away. The Cardinals lack much depth and two players went the entire 40 minutes in the victory over N.C. State. Anton Gill played only 11 minutes, but he was 3-for-3 and scored seven points down the stretch the help the Cardinals secure the victory. Chinanu Anuaku is 6-10 and has started 26 games this season. Edge: Michigan State.

Also filling a vacancy and creating another one is Bradley, as they hired Brian Wardle away from Green Bay. Wardle went 95-65 in five seasons at Green Bay, reaching the NIT the past two seasons. He will replace Geno Ford, who was fired less than a week ago. Bradley is trying to regain relevance after a Sweet 16 appearance in 2006 was the peak of what became a steady decline.

Friday, March 27, 2015

New Jersey Tech continues to make a run in the CIT, as the Highlanders moved to the quarterfinals by defeating Cleveland State 80-77 when Ky Howard hit a three-pointer with 19.7 seconds left. Also advancing are Evansville-an 83-68 winner at Eastern Illinois-and Kent State, which won at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 69-65 in a back-and-forth game.

"We never play defense quite that way," junior Bryn Forbes said. "Usually, we jump to the ball and stay in the gaps. As guards, we weren't doing that. We were having our bigs being the nail (help) man in the middle. So when their guards would drive, (MSU's post players) would step up. We changed a lot, and it worked."

Alvin Ellis and Marvin Clark Jr. each chipped in 11 minutes – Clark playing power forward with Dawson at small forward for a stretch, in a lineup shift for Izzo – and Bryn Forbes had his second straight key contribution in an NCAA game.

Forbes played "the best defense of his life," Izzo said, and he also scored seven points. He hit his only three-point try, a second-half swish to make it 37-25 MSU. On the play, Valentine led Forbes to a spot, a chemistry moment between two childhood friends.
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Valentine needs five points on Friday to reach 1,000 for his career. Trice, Dawson and Forbes already have 1,000 points, though Forbes scored most of his in his first two seasons at Cleveland State.

Oklahoma's top reserve is guard Frank Booker, a 6-4 guard who aids the pressure defense and is third on the team with 36 three-pointers. The Sooners also get help from 6-1 guard Dinjiyl Walker and forwards D.J. Bennett and Khadeem Lattin. MSU's bench has been huge in the past few weeks, though Bryn Forbes' surge is more recent than that. Matt Costello will be important in this game inside, and the Spartans need Marvin Clark Jr., Alvin Ellis and perhaps Colby Wollenman to give good minutes. If the Spartans can get some mileage out of their depth, they'll be better late.

Reports are that Illinois-Chicago is set to hire former Wyoming head coach and current Indiana assistant Steve McClain as its next coach. It sounds like a good move. McClain was 157-115 while coaching Wyoming from 1998-2007 and often had entertaining teams.

The real upsets in this year’s tournament are largely missing, and that’s ok. What makes the tourney the lovable, all-encompassing event that it is are not just the upsets, but the near upsets. It’s the way it consistently settles (or at least should settle) arguments that the champion of the Big West or Horizon League can’t compete with middling teams from the ACC or Big Ten, much less top 25 squads from those conferences.

No, teams like Buffalo, Harvard, Northeastern, UC Irvine, Valparaiso and Wofford didn’t win their first round games. But they were right there down to the final minute and literally came within a possession or two of pulling off wins. The bottom line is the bottom line, but if one peels the onion back even a little, they know the truth. Every one of those teams belonged, and all of them provided exciting moments, even if they didn’t give many the ultimate sugar high of a surprising win.

Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew will also interview at DePaul in the coming days, sources confirmed to SNY.tv.
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Drew, 40, is 94-42 in two seasons at Valparaiso, including a 28-6 record this past season and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

The Midwest includes what on paper is the very best first round game of them all with West Virginia going against Buffalo. The Bulls will need to handle the WVU pressure, but also keep an eye on UB’s defense as well, which is very good. Maryland opens with Valparaiso, and don’t overlook this game, either. Champions from top 15 conferences almost always are tough outs, and though they are offensively challenged, the Crusaders are good enough defensively to take this one down to the wire. Also in Omaha, Kansas opens against a New Mexico State team that has been injury-riddled this year but is still athletic and tall enough to cause trouble, and Wichita State plays Indiana in a game that will be dominated by guards. The Shockers’ being tourney tested would figure to be a difference, but is no guarantee for a team that can really struggle at times offensively. And if Yogi Ferrell gets going, this one could quickly sway in the Hoosiers’ favor.

UPSET WATCH
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No. 13 Valparaiso vs. No. 4 Maryland, 4:40 p.m. (TNT): Bryce Drew is no stranger to upsets and has a chance if he can slow down Maryland guards Melo Trimble and Dez Wells. The Crusaders have the size up front to make this tight.

This is becoming all too familiar of a theme in this tournament. This time, it’s Varun Ram avoiding a whistle as he raked the arms of Keith Carter as he tried to get off a desperation, last-second three.

Maryland (-4.5) over Valparaiso: This is a popular upset, and tightly so. Maryland is the weakest 4 seed and Valparaiso is a strong 13 seed. Pomeroy has the spread at only 2. What makes me nervous about taking Valparaiso is that their biggest strength is the paint. 6'9" Alec Peters is their best player, and their offense is heavily dependent on offensive rebounds. Maryland isn't a great defensive rebounding team, but they were fairly good (6th best in the Big Ten), and more importantly they are massive. Five of the ten guys in their regular rotation are 6'8" or larger. I think that they force Valparaiso to hit outside shots to beat them.

No. 13 Valparaiso vs. No. 4 Maryland (-4.5); 4:40 ET, TNT: This tournament marks the 17th anniversary of Bryce Drew's shot to beat Ole Miss in 1998. Can he lead the Crusaders back to the promised land as a coach? It's possible. However, they'll need to slow down Melo Trimble and Dez Wells on the perimeter to do so, and that could be a tall task. But if they can control the glass on both ends like they have all season as well as get some timely shots from Alec Peters, they could pull off a bit of a surprising win. It's also worth mentioning that Maryland has won 10 of its 11 games decided by six points or fewer, which is likely unsustainable going into the future. Can that luck keep up?

The Terps came away with a 65-62 win against Valparaiso, but under some strange circumstances. With 14 seconds left, Valparaiso inbounded the ball and ran some putrid end of game offense. With about three seconds left in the corner, Keith Carter went up for a jumper and this happened.

That's little-used walk-on Varun Ram making what amounted to be a huge defensive play, but ultimately one that was a foul and went uncalled. Who knows if Valpo makes the free throws in that late-game situation, but it sure would have been nice for them to have gotten the chance.

Regardless, this was a game that ended up staying close solely due to timely 3-point shooting from the Crusaders. Valpo only shot 36 percent from the field for the game, but ultimately 12 3-pointers kept them in the game and gave them a real chance to tie or even win it late. Maryland got 14 points each from Dez Wells and Melo Trimble, but rather it was the 14 points from Jared Nickens that played the pivotal role. Even though he only had two in the second half, his four 3s in the first half really turned the game and not only slowed a big Valpo run, but also gave Maryland momentum to get going.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

The Vikings blew out Western Michigan of the MAC on Wednesday night, 86-57. Charlie had 28 points and seven assists to lead the way, while Anton Grady chipped in with 21 points, 14 boards and six assists.

Bum left foot or not, expect Gaines to give it everything he has for the Bulldogs. Adrenaline can be a powerful medicine. Georgia also gets quality play from freshman big man and former MSU recruiting target Yante Maten and 6-7 junior forward Cameron Forte. Senior Taylor Echols provides some backcourt depth. The Bulldogs will miss guard Juwan Parker (Achilles) who will dress and be available for emergency use only. MSU could use more shooting from Bryn Forbes, who hit some big ones against Wisconsin after a quiet stretch. Marvin Clark Jr. is locked in as a quality backup for Dawson, while Alvin Ellis has been improving. And Costello has been MSU's best center all season. Colby Wollenman is ready if MSU gets in foul trouble.

Izzo invests in his teams emotionally and laments the transitory nature of the game, from the one-and-done recruits to the loose transfer rules that allow players to jump. He plays it, too — Bryn Forbes, a transfer from Cleveland State, has been a valuable addition — but is it good for the sport? Kentucky has lost freshmen Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Nerlens Noel, Julius Randle and James Young to the first round of the past few NBA drafts, and has more possible first-yeahttp://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/index.ssf/2015/03/cleveland_state_falls_to_michi.htmlr departures — Karl-Anthony Towns, Trey Lyles, Devin Booker.

In Valparaiso, the Drews are “more than just basketball royalty, they are the first family.” Having already won three regular season Horizon League championships, coach Bryce Drew loves being a part of the program that has family – including himself – has given so much to over the years.

Overview: Valparaiso struggled with injuries but till won the league regular-season title before fending off determined Green Bay in the conference. Now fully healthy and loaded with confidence, the Crusaders will be a favorite to become a Cinderella and pull off tournament magic reminiscent of when their coach was playing for Valpo.

Twitter:@ValpoBasketball

Did you know? Valparaiso once boasted the "world's tallest basketball team." A group of men who were too tall to join the military during WWII came to play basketball at Valparaiso.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Side Dishes:
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Five games were played in the CIT. South Carolina Upstate edged James Madison 73-72 in an excellent matchup, while three road teams won. Most notably, Eastern Illinois outran Oakland 97-91, while Louisiana-Lafayette won at Incarnate Word 83-68.
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The remaining seven first round games will be played tonight in the NIT. Good matchups include St. Mary’s hosting a Vanderbilt team that was underappreciated this year, as well as Illinois State hosting Wisconsin-Green Bay. Colorado State shouldn’t even be in the NIT, and its reward for being there is a pairing with a good South Dakota State team. St. Francis (N.Y.) also makes its first postseason appearance since the 1963 NIT when it faces Richmond in a first round game.

1. No. 13 Valparaiso: Valpo can beat Maryland. Let me just get that out of the way right now. They’re a very, very good team defensively in the half court, one that is going to give Maryland’s back court of Dez Wells and Melo Trimble issues. There are times where the Terp offense essentially boils down to allowing those two guards to try and beat their defenders one-on-one, and that will not be an easy thing to do against the Crusaders. If they can bet past Maryland, however, I hate their matchup against West Virginia, who, assuming Juwan State actually is healthy, should be Buffalo. Valpo’s point guard situation is in flux due to injuries, and that is a nightmare scenario when playing against a team that thrives on forcing turnovers.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

It's a solid group that doesn't create off-court headaches, just a few on-court heartaches. Give Izzo and his staff credit, because after sitting at 15-8 on Feb. 7, the Spartans got on a roll, and almost every player has shown improvement. Matt Costello has developed into a rugged presence, and freshman Tum Tum Nairn Jr. has provided a spark in the starting lineup. Marvin Clark Jr. and Bryn Forbes are capable of big moments, too.

Tonight’s Menu:
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Five more games happen in the CIT. Eastern Illinois is at Oakland, James Madison travels to South Carolina Upstate, Bowling Green is at St. Francis (Pa.), Norfolk State plays at Eastern Kentucky and Louisiana-Lafayette goes to Incarnate Word, which makes its first D-I tourney appearance.

Out: Howard Moore. Moore was let go for a lack of on-court success, according to athletic director Jim Schmidt. And honestly, it's not a huge surprise. UIC never really showed any consistent modicum of success under Moore, going 49-111 in his five seasons at the helm with only one winning season (2012-13). The Flames went 10-24 this year with an upperclassman-laden roster, and didn't show a ton of progress following the winning year two seasons ago. One other thing worth mentioning: the Flames do have three top-400 recruits coming in next season according to 247Sports. That's an impressive haul for a school the size of UIC, and it'll be interesting to see if they stick around with the switch.

Another possibility that will receive attention: No. 13 Valparaiso over No. 4 Maryland

Mark Turgeon’s team has put together a very good year, winning 27 games and finishing second in the Big Ten with Melo Trimble, Dez Wells and Jake Layman leading the way. But they have what could be a difficult matchup given the Crusaders’ front court talent. Bryce Drew’s team rebounds more than 35 percent of its missed shots on the season, with Alec Peters, Vashil Fernandez and Jubril Adekoya being solid offensive rebounders. Add in the fact that the 6-foot-9 Peters can score both inside and out, and an upset is possible here.

Maryland/Valparaiso is another game where you need to think seriously about the upset. The Vegas spread is only at 5 points, and it's there for a reason. In fact, Pomeroy has the spread at only 3. Maryland went 11-1 in games decided by six points or fewer, and they are decidedly weaker than their resume. Valparaiso, meanwhile, is good enough that they could have contended for an at-large bid if they had a better schedule and a little bit more luck in close games. The test for Valparaiso is going to be scoring points against this defense, though. Alec Peters was a dominant power scorer in the Horizon League, but Maryland's front line is much bigger and more physical than anything in the Horizon League. And I'm not sure Valparaiso has the ability to shut down Dez Wells and Melo Trimble. Maryland was only 10th in the Big Ten in offensive efficiency, but they should be able to score enough points with Wells and Trimble that Valparaiso is not going to be able to win this game with 55 points (it's been more than a month since Valparaiso scored more than 63 points in a game, and their last four wins have all come with 60 points or fewer). So I think Maryland does escape here, though it would be a little bit of karma if they lose on the final play of a game after so much luck in close games all season long.

13. Valparaiso is one of the few teams to hold Green Bay's Keifer Sykes in check this season, so I'll give the Crusaders a shot to lock down Melo Trimble. There is no individual star that will capture your attention, but the balanced and consistent winning under Bryce Drew (oh yeah, I guess he's the name you'll recognize here) with two tournament trips in four years is impressive.

Reasons to pick the upset: Maryland has been one of the most fortunate teams in America this season, winning 10 of its 11 games decided by six points or fewer. Now, part of that is due to the presence of Melo Trimble, a terrific free-throw shooter who can close out games at the line. But still, they would not be expected to win over 90 percent of their games within two possessions. So maybe Maryland's patten of good fortune combined with solid late-game execution runs out here?

There's also the matchup against Valparaiso, which is a bit interesting. Maryland is an average defensive rebounding team and a poor offensive rebounding team. The Crusaders do a good job of controlling the glass on both ends. The Terps' defense also doesn't force turnovers or steals, which is the place where the Crusaders tend to struggle most on offense. So if the Crusaders can control the boards and limit turnovers, they would probably be halfway home to an upset. It would just come down to making shots against the more athletic Terps. Given that Valpo knocked down 38 percent of its 3-point attempts this year, I might take my chances on that.

Reasons to pick the favorite: Maryland has a really good perimeter-based player -- Jake Layman -- to match up with Valparaiso's terrific stretch-four Alec Peters. If Layman can control that matchup against Peters and slow him down with his mix of size and athleticism, Valpo would need other guys to step up who might not be able to do so. Also, simply put, Maryland is an extremely athletic, talented team. The Crusaders haven't seen a backcourt this season (sorry, Green Bay and Keifer Sykes) that can match the Terps' ability to get into the lane and make plays. The question will be whether Trimble and Dez Wells can finish over Vashil Fernandez or get him into foul trouble, as he has turned into an excellent rim protector. Given that I think there is a strong chance the Terps can neutralize the Crusaders' advantage inside, this is a tough one to call.

(13) Valparaiso - If one of these teams is able to run their offense efficiently, they will win the game. Neither team averages 70 points per game, so scoring could be at a premium. If Valpo is able to play the defense they have been playing against Horizon League competition against Maryland, they will be right in this game. The Crusaders give up just 59.3 points per game and hasn't given up more than 76 points in a non-overtime game all season. These teams are going to struggle to score, so if one team can get their players to the rim, they will win the game.

No stranger to the Cinderella role, Valpo won 10 of their last 11 games (including the Horizon Tournament) to close out the year, including a pair of wins over both Cleveland State and Green Bay. The Crusaders are extremely dangerous from beyond the arc and have an eclectic and long team that could pose some matchup problems against Maryland. Somehow Valparaiso managed to do a good job of shutting down Keifer Sykes, Green Bay’s terrific guard, in the teams’ three meetings, and that same type of defense against Maryland’s Melo Trimble, one of the best freshmen in all of college basketball, will be critical.

Valparaiso (28-5) will forever be known for Bryce Drew's last-second shot to beat Mississippi in 1998. Guess what, fans of how time flies? He's the coach now, following in dad Homer's footsteps. The No.13 seed Crusaders will need an upset of No.4 seed Maryland for people to get to know Alec Peters (16.7 ppg), Darien Walker of Chicago or Tevonn Walker of Montreal.

Personally, I don't know how anyone wouldn't want to root for a team with a player named E. Victor Nickerson.